Cape Town - While the country continues to face severe load shedding and grid capacity constraints, Minister Barbara Creecy announced approvals for renewable energy projects in the pipeline as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) applications for 9 789MW of renewable energy are being processed by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).
In delivering her Budget Vote speech last week, Creecy said these projects consisted of 2 899MW for Solar PV, 6 890MW for wind energy facilities, as well as applications for battery energy storage systems and associated transmission and distribution infrastructure.
These could significantly help to reduce load shedding when they eventually come online in the next few years – estimated to be in two years.
“We are working hard to cut the red tape and get these projects finalised, and in this regard we have reduced our decision-making time frames from 107 days to 57 days,” Creecy said.
With grid capacity remaining a major constraint, not only for the country’s just energy transition needs but also for the short-term emergency to solve load shedding, Creecy added there were 15 EIA applications prioritised for decision-making that related to transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Creecy also noted the concern that has been raised over the government’s recent deliberation on delaying the decommissioning of ageing coal-fired power stations to reduce load shedding, and made it clear that the government had to combat both load shedding and climate change.
“It is not a one or the other decision. Current modelling will advise how we balance our decommissioning schedule so we can achieve energy security within the context of our climate change commitments and air quality improvement,” she said.
These announcements have been hailed as a significant improvement considering government’s slow uptake and red tape surrounding renewable projects in the face of a worsening electricity crisis.
Eskom on Sunday night said that breakdowns at its power stations were at 16486MW of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance was 3817MW.
DA spokesperson for Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dave Bryant, commented that it was positive to see the eagerness for the progression of these renewable energy projects.
“We cannot afford any more ANC dithering on the roll out of renewable projects. We are facing an energy crisis that needs urgent intervention. The EIA process is an early part of the actual implementation of these projects, and there is typically an 18 to 24-month build process from the time the final approvals are received until they actually start delivering electricity,” he said.
Considering the governmental delays and red tape that have become the norm in the country, energy analyst Hilton Trollip said: “It is welcomed to see in this case, the environment minister recognising the important role that renewables play and expediting the process of both the renewable generation projects and also transmission, which is absolutely key to getting more power into the grid.”